


It's No Longer A Game

by MyWorldHeartBeating, MyWorldMyImagination



Series: The Adventures of Victoria and Ruth [1]
Category: Dragon Quest Builders (Video Games)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Adventure & Romance, F/M, Game: Dragon Quest Builders 2, Role-Playing Game, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-16 07:35:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29450154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyWorldHeartBeating/pseuds/MyWorldHeartBeating, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyWorldMyImagination/pseuds/MyWorldMyImagination
Summary: Who would have imagined a girls' get-together would transform into an unbelievable isekai adventure? The tables have turned, and this is no longer a game they were once familiar with. It's now a fight for survival! Join Victoria and Ruth in DQB2. (Victoria/Malroth)(Ruth/Warwick)https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13819446/1/It-s-No-Longer-A-Game
Relationships: Female Builder/Malroth (Dragon Quest Builders 2), Warwick/OC
Series: The Adventures of Victoria and Ruth [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2164641





	1. A New Reality

_Year 2019—November 1st_

_Los Angeles, California_

Apple cinnamon clung in the air, and Victoria Wainwright sauntered from one end of the room to another, preparing a meal. But it wasn’t just any meal. Tonight was special. Tonight’s arrangement was a get-together with her best friend, Ruth. It’d been ages since they last spent any quality time together, not since her hours picked up at the department store.

A hum fell from her painted cherry lips, and she swung her hips to the beat of the music drifting from the living area. All the while, she trimmed the crust from the finger sandwiches, applying a generous amount of ham, turkey, cucumber, lettuce, and cheese to each. Some with and without. Victoria lathered hers with buttermilk cheese ranch. It added to the flavor.

Pleased by her handiwork, she placed each delicate morsel onto a plate and laid them on the table in the dining room, coupled with two separate bowls of cold chicken and avocado pasta salad with bay leaves and mozzarella shredded cheese. From there, she returned to the kitchen and withdrew two jars from the cabinet, setting them onto the counter before reaching for various bottles from the fridge. Grenadine, lemon lime soda, and ginger ale, coupled with a small container of maraschino cherries, and two separate lemons and limes.

Victoria swayed and spun on her heels and grabbed a cutting knife. One by one, she sliced up the fruits, leaving the cherries intact, and poured the drinks into the glass jars. She coated the rim with water and sugar to add a dazzling effect, but the cherries and lemon lime added to the wow factor.

 _Perfect_.

The aromas remaining drifted from the oven. Within were two separate dishes, each personalized to her’s and Ruth’s interests. The first tray held two stuffed zucchini boats toasted with a blend of diced tomatoes, beef, red and green peppers, mushrooms, and topped with mozzarella cheese. But she preferred hers without tomatoes and mushrooms. And the last main dish for the evening was a simple pesto chicken pull apart slider.

They smelled _amazing_.

“Alright. Just a few more minutes and they should be ready to pull out of the oven,” She said, wiping her hands on a towel.

The lights flickered, and her russet gaze shifted to the windowsill in her living room. Beyond the blue and white striped pillows and sheer curtains, she saw a torrent of blackness. The window vibrated against the wind, and peering through the glass, she saw a figure with an umbrella climbing the stairs.

Ruth Emerson.

Poor thing. No matter her attempts, she could not brave the storm head on; it knocked her off her feet, her lithe form swept by the gusts. While she watched, entertained, she thought her friend might fly away with her umbrella. The thought made her laugh.

“Maybe I should help her…” Another flicker caught her eye. “But I just did my hair…” She said, twirling a strand of ebony around her finger. Victoria felt bad for inviting her over during a torrential down-pour, but it wasn’t as if she lived far. Aside from living in an apartment loft and on the fifth floor, Ruth lived down the street.

As she moved away from the window, she approached the door and unlocked it. Moments after, it opened, and Ruth waltzed inside, soaked to the bone and displeased. Somehow, her umbrella had turned itself inside out, and she tossed it onto the floor.

The sight left Victoria giggling, and she said, “Whoa. You’re soaking wet.”

“No _shit_ , sherlock! I had a hell of a time holding onto my umbrella!” She said, fussing with her bangs which had matted to her forehead. “A lot of good that did!”

“Yeah. I saw you through the window. I thought you were going to pull a Mary Poppins or something.”

“You were _watching_ and didn’t _help_?”

Again, she laughed. “Hold up. Let me get you a towel and a change of clothes,” She said, not oblivious to her glare as she sauntered past. Behind her, she heard Ruth kick off her shoes, and release a long sigh, and after retrieving a towel from around the corner near the kitchen, she returned. “Here,” She said, handing her a muted pink sweatshirt and black leggings.

Ruth accepted them, though she still struck Victoria a look. “Thanks…” She said and started removing her jacket and clothing. “Oh, that bag there,” She pointed. “Open it. I think you’ll like it.”

Victoria reached for it and removed it from the bag. Inside, she saw a mouth-watering sight. Chocolate caramel tart with sea salt topping. “Oh, wow! Did you make this?” She asked, setting it on the table near the other dishes. “I know you said you were practicing…”

Ruth slung the sweatshirt over her head, its length falling below her thighs. “Let’s not talk about that…” She said, sweat dropping. “I bought it from the bakery. There was a sale.”

“Well, regardless, it looks amazing. All this food is making me hungry.”

“You’re telling me,” She said, inspecting the food gathered on the table in front of her. “I thought I walked into a freaking restaurant! How many others are coming over?”

“Just you. I guess I got carried away. Speaking of which, I have to take the rest out of the oven. Sit. Make yourself comfortable.”

“Already am,” She said, throwing herself onto the cream-colored sofa. “Damn, this is good! Have you been cooking since this morning or what?”

Victoria retrieved the trays from the oven and set them on the cooling racks. “Just a little here and there. The pasta is an appetizer. This is the main dish,” She pointed. “And there’s dessert in the fridge!”

“I’m adopting you as my mother from this moment on,” She said, biting into her pasta. “What’s that?”

“Shirley Temple. Try it.”

Ruth squinted her eyes at the pink liquid in the jars. “Is it alcohol?”

Victoria joined her on the couch and reached for her glass. “Nope. It tastes amazing though.”

“I’ll take your word for it…” She said and took a sip through the magenta straw. Her blue eyes widened. “Whoa…”

“Right? Try the zucchini.”

She nodded and blew on a portion before sampling it. The reaction she received was nothing short but content. “Mmm— _It’s so good_ —I keep telling you to be a professional chef. Your recipes are the best! Your wasting all your talents on feeding me!”

A blush warmed her cheeks. “Thanks. I don’t know about that. I’m just worried if I work for someone, I can’t be as creative.”

“Why not get your own building? That way you can have the freedom to make what you want,” Ruth said in-between bites. “I swear, one day, I’m going to get fat…”

“And yet you never gain a single pound!”

“Don’t jinx it! But I’m serious. Your wasting your talents cooped up here.”

She nodded. “I guess. But I’m pretty satisfied with things at the department store.”

Ruth made a face. “God. I hate that place. _So &So’s Fashion Boutique_. Where the pretty get prettier! Their employees match the name!” She said, rolling her eyes. “Who came up with it?”

She shrugged, biting into her chicken slider. “Beats me.”

“Come to _So &So’s_! Let’s steal your money and pretend to like you with our outrageous priced clothing! Here’s a coupon for a five percent off one pair of five hundred-dollar jeans! _Limited time only_!” Ruth said, waving her hands.

Victoria almost choked on her chicken slider. “Oh my god, stop,” She said, laughing.

“I’m serious! Who the hell would buy a pair of jeans for five hundred dollars? Those better be super comfortable!”

At the mentioning, she looked away, rubbing the fabric of her hip hugging skinny jeans. What a coincidence they were discussing the price of clothing at the boutique. “They are pretty comfortable…” She said, noticing Ruth’s open mouth expression.

“Did you—” Ruth glanced under the table and gasped. “That’s the one I saw in the window the other day! What is wrong with you?”

“But they _are_ comfortable and fit me like a glove,” She said, defending the soft material. “But you can’t say they aren’t.”

“ _I_ wouldn’t know. I don’t shop there.”

A smile crept over her lips, and her eyes lowered to Ruth’s sweatshirt and leggings. “Well, the clothes you have on right now. Aren’t they comfortable?”

“Yeah? They’re nice and warm— _Oh my god_ —I’m wearing _So &So’s_?! How could you? Y-you made me into a hypocrite…”

Victoria laughed and nodded. “But aren’t they comfortable?”

Ruth tugged on the fabric and made a face. “The leggings… are _so_ nice. They feel _so_ good…” She said, pouting. “But I’m still never shopping there. But I will borrow these. Just so you know.”

“Mhm. Okay.”

“I can’t believe you spent that much…”

“I didn’t. I get an eighty-five percent discount after working there for three years,” She said, gulping down her drink. “So, if I paid five hundred with the discount, that means I only paid fifty-five dollars,” She said, shrugging.

“That’s still expensive. Mine costs around 7.99 to 19.99,” Ruth said, making a face at her friend and shaking her head.

“Well, if you want it, you’ll buy it.” Victoria saw the screws turning in her friend’s head asking how they became so close, and she laughed at her expression. Had they not met in college, she would have remained friends with those other girls. The ones who thought highly of themselves. But with Ruth, they just clicked. Despite their differences, Ruth was more down to earth and understanding. They’d been friends for years.

“So,” Ruth said, finishing her salad and half of her stuffed zucchini. “what did you want to show me that was so important?”

“ _Oh_! _Oh_! _Oh_!” Victoria said, jumping in place. She motioned to the cabinet beneath her flat screen TV. “I almost forgot!” She leaped from the table and opened the mahogany doors and revealed her gaming console. PlayStation Five. From there, she double checked all the wiring and controls and reached for the remote. “I did it! So, you remember the game I told you about earlier? Dragon Quest Builders 2.”

“That Minecraft look alike?”

“No! It’s not Minecraft. It’s better. It’s got story, better graphics, quests and so much more.”

“Oh. Okay,” She said, lifting herself from the couch. But instead of approaching the TV, she walked straight to the kitchen and opened the fridge. From there, a squeal of delight escaped her. “Oh, no you didn’t! Did you make a _strawberry parfait_?!”

“Yep. Help yourself.”

“I will! Thanks! This looks amazing!” She said, eyeing the various layers of cream cheese, homemade whipped cream, strawberries, and sponge cake within. With a spoon in hand, Ruth returned to the living room and plopped herself on the yellow beanbag beside her. “But first I’ll try this chocolate caramel tart. It’s been calling my name ever since I left the bakery. Don’t judge me.”

“Already am. Ah, here we go. This white controller is yours.”

“Is that a Ps5?” She asked, accepting the controller.

“Yep.”

“Wait. I thought the game you were talking about was for the Ps4…”

Victoria smiled and said, “It is. I hacked it and boosted the processor and graphics. Now it runs better.”

“Okay. So, we’re playing Dragon Quest?”

She nodded. “Builders 2. Not only that, but we’re making it _our_ own game.”

“Come again? I thought it was single player?”

“Like I said. I hacked it. Now it’s multiplayer. And better yet, we can customize our characters. Like _The Sims_.”

“Oh my god!”

“Figures you get excited about that. Well, let’s get started,” She said, and plopped down beside her.

A few lines of dialogue appeared on the screen, and it opened with a figure seated at his throne with a dragon behind him. The person saying his monologue about an inevitable evil resurfacing wore a red and white gown with an image of a smiling bat. Torches on either side of him revealed a red carpeted interior of moldy stone. But above all else, he wasn’t human.

“Who’s that weirdo?” Ruth asked, biting into her tart.

“That’s _Hargon_ ,” Victoria said. “All I know is he ordered all builders to disappear. This is more of a prologue of what happens before our characters come into the game. We can skip it since it’s not too important.”

As she did, the menu screen popped up, and she selected multiplayer. From there, her customization skills came into effect. Victoria took the programming for designing The Sims and applied it to the menu, and it added to the overall satisfaction.

“Alright. Go customize away,” She said.

Ruth nodded, setting her tart to the side. “Well, I’m a girl last time I checked—Oh—I can change my hair and color? Does that mean we can go into character design mode and switch between nationalities?”

“Sure can.”

“Sweet! This just got a lot more interesting. Hmm… I guess I’ll stick to pale with large purple eyes and shoulder-length fuchsia hair…”

Victoria arched a brow. “What’s this? You aren’t switching your nationality to Asian?” She asked.

“Nah. Not today. All those dramas have fried my brain. I’ll go for… flat chested.”

“Girl, give yourself some assets!”

Ruth shook her head. “No. They’ll only weigh me down. Plus, the bigger they are, the droopier they get. But I’ll give myself some curves.”

“What you trying to say, Ruth?”

Ruth rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t talking about you… even though you’re _well endowed_ …”

“What did you say?”

“I said this desert tastes good! Mm!” Ruth said, stuffing her mouth full of chocolate.

Victoria laughed and shook her head. “Lucky for you, you don’t have to wait long. My character is ready,” She said, dragging a folder into the menu.

Ruth blinked. “Wait… you already have yours?”

“I spent hours customizing mine.”

As soon as she clicked on the folder, her character appeared on the screen beside Ruth’s. Despite the shorter stature of her friend, her character’s appearance screamed glamorous. She used the same name, her character standing at a stature of six feet tall, with medium brown skin and long wavy aqua hair. Aqua eyes stared back, her chest big and her hips wide.

“Damn… you went all out…”

She waved her hand up and down against her figure. “Well, I have to stay true to my character. You still have time to add more to yours.”

“Nah. Let’s start this game,” She said, reaching for the controller.

“Hold up. You forgot something important.”

Ruth tilted her head and blinked. “What?”

She held out the _VR goggles_ , and when she saw her eyes widen, she laughed. “That’s right. The experience will be incredible,” She said, but Ruth snatched it before she could say another word.

“I haven’t used one of these yet! And they’re expensive too! You have two of them?”

“Sure do. There was a sale.”

She rolled her eyes. “There’s _always_ a sale…”

As she and Ruth pulled the _VR goggles_ over their heads, the devices charged and ready to use, a thundering boom shook the apartment. Victoria jumped and heard her friend laughing beside her. A little rain was fine, but she hated storms. But when she focused on the first-person experience, she realized her character’s animation had glitched. It lasted a few seconds before returning to normal. Thank god.

But then another boom followed, louder than the first, and the power went off. The only thing she heard was the rain pelting the glass and the high winds roaring. But at least she had the decency to include autosave.

“That sounded close!” Ruth said. “I hope it didn’t hit the apartment…”

Victoria lifted her goggles halfway and glanced out the window. “It should be fine. In a few minutes it should clear up.”

“My ass! What if it’s a tornado or something? That’s not rain. That’s hail!”

“If it was, then we’d get a warning notification on the radio or on our phones,” She said, rolling her eyes. “Don’t worry about it.”

She leaned forward and reached for the remote, turning the screen back on. To her relief, nothing had changed, and before long, she and Ruth were in the game. The graphics were incredible. Just as she always imagined, and she turned her character to greet Ruth’s.

“What’s this place? Are we in prison?”

“Yeah, and on a ship. If you walk around, you can interact with stuff. Try to get the basics down before the tutorial ends—”

Another boom followed, and the screen glitched again. Beside her, she heard Ruth scream and say something, but she couldn’t make out what it was. Then it happened. An agonizing sensation tore through her hands and traveled up her arms and to her head, as if something had shocked her.

It hurt.

“I-I… feel numb… Ruth? You okay?”

No answer followed. For some unfathomable reason, she couldn’t find the strength to lift the goggles from her face. She passed out a moment later.

**Ψ**

**Author Notice:**

Are you hungry yet? I had a blast writing the food portion! Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter!

Is anyone interested in:

Zelda Crossover with the first Dragon Quest Builders? Naruto Shippuden/Inuyasha with Kagome/Bankotsu?

**Character Ages and Descriptions:** _Victoria Wainwright (20), Ruth Emerson (18), Malroth (23)_

**Descriptions:**

**Victoria:** _Long wavy aqua-blue hair kept in a loose ponytail with matching eyes, side swept fringe, and six feet tall and curvy._

 **Ruth:** _Short fuchsia and black hair, straight fringe, amethyst eyes, petite and five-foot four height._


	2. Rude Awakening

Roused from unconsciousness to the heaving and churning of a bobbing-like sensation, Ruth sat up and stared into the blackness of a drafty room. A moldy smell hung in the air, and her eyes burned as she silently regarded her surroundings. Where was she? The swishing sounds of water resonated beneath her, and as she tried adjusting her eyes to the dim lighting of a swaying lantern overhead, she realized the situation.

This wasn’t Victoria’s apartment.

An urge to throw up swelled in the pit of her stomach, but she fought against it, squinting until she made out the form of her best friend lying a short distance away. Only something was different about her. Her previous mane of ebony hair had transformed into flowing locks of aqua, with each strand tied into a high ponytail. Not only that, but she wore a brown tank top jumper with a hip-hugging satchel, thigh-high multicolored socks, furred boots, gray fingerless gloves and a brown toboggan with goggles.

Ruth recognized the style from the video game. From the hair to the clothing, it was the same, and she inspected her own clothing. True enough, she was no longer adorned in an oversized sweater with leggings but was instead dressed in an outfit fitting for a sorceress. A flowing blue and green gown hugged her hourglass figure and split at the knees with golden designs embroidered onto the material. The sleeves were long and cuffed at the wrists, and knee-length boots brought the outfit together. She touched her shoulder-length fuchsia hair and sighed.

It worked. Who would have guessed these VR goggles would look so 3-D? But something bothered her. Had Victoria also hacked into the sensation and smell factor of the game? Or was this common with the goggles? Either way, the scenery, although dark and decrepit, looked great. And here she thought her experience would be nothing short of blocky.

But a memory returned to her, of one she had nearly forgotten, and gasping, she turned to Victoria’s unmoving form. Just moments ago, a storm had wracked the apartment and the last thing she recalled was a bolt of lightning striking the power lines outside the window. After that, a power surge crept through the console, and she faintly remembered the numbing sensation ripple through her.

“I almost forgot! I’m pretty sure that lightning struck the place! Did we… get electrocuted?” She asked no one in particular and scrutinized the game character’s body. Nothing was amiss. In fact, she was freely thinking throughout this experience, so maybe she was fine on the other side? There was only one way to find out.

“Silly me. I forgot I can just remove the goggles—”

Ruth’s hands paused on the spot where the device should have been strapped onto, and in that instant, her stomach lurched. Was she imagining it? There was nothing there. From her face to her ears and to the spot in front of her eyes, there was nothing but air, and she gasped. Where were the goggles? Wasn’t that how these things worked? But why couldn’t she locate it?

“What the—Why won’t they come off?” Ruth turned to her fallen comrade. “Victoria, wake up! Can you hear me?” She asked, but there was no response. Even tapping on her face was useless! But then a bucket sitting off to the side caught her notice, and peering into its contents, she saw water inside.

At least she _hoped_ it was water.

“Sorry, Victoria, but you leave me no choice…”

Reaching for the wooden cup floating atop its surface, she splashed her friend’s face. It worked. In an instant, Victoria woke up, sputtering and coughing, but as soon as she saw her friend with a bucket between them, she struck her a glare that could kill.

“What the hell?! What is _wrong_ with you? Did you _seriously_ throw water on me?!”

Ruth only rolled her eyes. “I didn’t have a choice. Slapping you didn’t work either.”

“That’s why my face hurts…” She said, rubbing her cheeks. “Where are we?”

“In the game. Obviously. So, what’s the deal with these goggles? I tried to take them off, but it wouldn’t work. It’s almost as if I’m not wearing it at all.”

“What are you talking about? Hold on…”

As she waited, watching her friend raise her hands to the sides of her head, she watched the failed motion of her trying to remove the invisible headgear. There was a confused look on her face, but she continued the process a few more times before giving up. “Well?”

“That’s weird… It’s like I’m not wearing it…”

That sickening feeling returned, and she stifled it back. “What… do you mean?”

“Ruth. I’m being serious. Regardless of the graphics, even when you put your hand across your head, you would feel the helmet… But… the remote isn’t in my hands.”

She glanced down. It was the same for her. Did it have something to do with that storm earlier? “Victoria… do you think… You know those books we read where people die and they’re reincarnated into those worlds?”

Victoria sweat dropped. “Do you realize how crazy you sound right now?”

“Think about it! We were playing the game and then _boom_! Lightning hits the pole outside your apartment! We were also wearing those VR goggles that were plugged into the system! Don’t you remember that surge? I _literally_ blacked out, and I’m pretty sure you did as well because you went _dead_ silent!” She said, watching the uncertainty and suspicion cross her friend’s countenance. “And what happened after? We woke up here, inside this…” Ruth glanced around and leaned closer to whisper to her. “ _video game_. Think about it. If it’s not real, how can your face hurt after I slapped you? And what about your wet clothes?”

Although there was plenty of room to argue with her, Victoria paused. Ruth made a fair point in her explanation. “I’m wet and cold, and I still feel the water sliding down my neck. I’ve played a lot of VR games, but sensation is nothing short of vibration in the controller… which is absent…” She said, piecing everything together. “And I faintly recall the window shattering near us and rain water flooding in… _That’s what’s happening_!”

Ruth blinked and shook her head. “Are you seriously hearing yourself right now? I was right next to you. If that’s the case, how come I’m not wet? I’m dry as a bone!”

Victoria inhaled and exhaled, her expression turning white at the realization. “Do you think we’re dead? Or… were we pulled into the game?”

She nodded as tears prickled her vision. “I’m pretty sure we got isekai’d.”

In the torrent of darkness surrounding them, tears welled in their eyes, and soon enough, a wail of distress flooded the cabin they were shut into. Although in any other situation, the thought of entering another dimension would have fascinated them, but actually experiencing it first-hand was nothing short but frightening. There was no clear indicator of what became of their bodies back in the apartment, whether they had comatosed under the storm’s rage or had simply died and entered the world of _Dragon Quest_.

“We died so young! I was about to become a manager!” Victoria sobbed. “All that hard work for nothing! Just to be taken out like that!”

Ruth nodded and rubbed her eyes, sniffling. “Tell me about it! And I’m _younger_ than you! I just graduated high school, and you want to know the worst part? I… I didn’t get to try your _strawberry parfait_!”

Through the tears, Victoria narrowed her eyes. “Really? That’s the worst part?! What about our family? How do you think they’re going to feel when they find us dead on the floor? My mom would have a heart attack!”

Ruth sniffled again and nodded. “Oh, yeah… You’re right. That will suck… I wonder how long we’ve been here? Too bad we can’t see what time it— _Hey_ , what’s that?” Something in the upper right corner of her vision caught her eye, and she pointed to the spot, but her friend only looked on confused.

“What’s what?”

“That dial above my head. It’s right there.”

As though she had suddenly calmed her tears, despite her reddened cheeks, Victoria squinted through the darkness, but she shook her head. “I can’t see anything but that swinging lantern. Describe it to me.”

“It’s round and there’s an image of a sun and moon. Half is white, and the other is dark. Reminds me of yin and yang.”

“Oh! That’s the sundial in the game. It tells you how much daylight we have left…” She said and fell short on her explanation. “Ruth, do you know what this means?”

“No…”

“This proves it. We are definitely inside the game. Meaning, we must still be alive! My guess is the VR goggles probably got messed up in the power surge. So… there’s still hope after all!”

Ruth nodded, but her smile quickly faded. “Too bad the cord is still attached to the console, otherwise, we could have waited for the charge to run out and force us out of the game…”

“Good point… That’s a problem. Maybe we’ll get lucky and the power will shut off?” She asked, and her friend shrugged. “Either way… how did you make the dial appear?”

“Huh? Oh! I’m not sure. I guess the thought of what time it was caused it?”

“Think about something else and tell me what happens.”

Ruth nodded. She supposed she could give it another shot, but she was still caught up in this freakish isekai transmigration to think clearly. “Okay. I did it.”

“What did you imagine?”

“I imagined myself holding that parfait…” She said, holding her hands out, half hoping it would materialize right before her eyes, but to her disappointment, it didn’t.

Victoria slapped her cupped hands. “Seriously? Forget it! I’ll try,” She said and closed her eyes. “I’m imagining I still have the remote in my hand, and I’m opening the game menu,” She said, and pressed an imaginary button. “Oh my god!”

“What?”

“It worked! Ruth, you try! Imagine you’re pressing the menu button with the controller!”

“Okay… but this feels really weird…” She said and held her hands out as though she were holding the white controller which her friend had handed her earlier. “I’m not too familiar with the PS5… but I’m going to guess that the menu button is here… Open menu?”

“Do you see it?”

“No.”

“Do it again.”

“I did. It’s not working, Victoria.”

She sighed. “Do you see anything?”

Ruth stared into the nothingness of her surroundings. Nothing but the small cabin they sat inside. Now that her eyes had adjusted to the blackness, she saw iron bars securing them inside the small room they occupied, and next to them, she saw another cell with several others locked away. They were eerily quiet though, but Ruth ignored them as she focused on her task.

“Well?”

“I see that day and night cycle. There’s HP at the top with a long green bar and a loaf of… bread beside it? And I see two hearts under it. And under _all_ of that, I see fifteen block slots.”

“Item boxes,” Victoria said, correcting her. “That’s strange. I wonder why you can’t open the menu?”

“Probably because you’re the main-character. Technically, it’s supposed to be single-player, and you have the main controller, don’t forget.”

Victoria fisted her palm and smiled. “That makes sense! This was supposed to be a demo run. In fact, I didn’t do too much with your character.”

Ruth blinked and crossed her arms. “So, I’m helpless?”

“Not really. I gave you some perks, but do you see anything in your inventory?”

She looked again, eyeing each individual slot, and then she saw something. “Yeah… a stick.”

“What?”

But it was more than that. It wasn’t just any boring stick. It was a glittery wand, similar to the one Sailor Moon, and the scouts carried! No way! “Are you serious? You added the _wand_?!”

Victoria smiled and nodded. “Sure did. It’s your staff now. With this, you can make copies of everything imaginable inside the game.”

Copies? But why only that? Was that it? No lazar beams or flamethrowers? No added magic power? What about the transformation spell? Seriously? “I feel cheated… Is that all it does? How is that going to help me?”

“Pretty much. I didn’t feel like going all out with the added mods. I figured your character could help me with gathering the material needed to beat the game. So, instead of finding hundreds to thousands of single materials, all I’d have to do is find one of everything. And your trusted wand would do the rest for me. Make copies, I mean. Think of it as killing two birds with one stone.”

“I guess so… So, how do I carry all those copies?”

“You don’t. I do. With my infinity backpack, I’ll lug everything around. But your wand can do more than make copies. Technically, you’re a sorceress,” She said with air quotes. “I just can’t remember what sort of spells you can use…”

Hope reignited within Ruth, and she stared at the wand in her inventory. So cool! So, she wasn’t entirely a worthless character after all! “That’s a relief!”

“I gave myself some perks as well. Instead of using the standard blueprint book in the game, I changed it into a tablet similar to _Breath of the Wild_. It has all the building recipes and blueprints on it. Not only that, but everything is unlocked. The best feature is definitely the infinity perk. My backpack, I mean.”

“How much could you normally carry in the game?”

“Ninety-nine items. Whenever you make copies of something, it will automatically go into my backpack. And if I programmed it right, everything should be light to carry. I also got rid of the unlimited weapons category. Now my character can wield anything besides the standard sword and hammer,” She said with a satisfied smirk. “Try pulling up your inventory.”

“I’m still looking at it. I don’t know how to get rid of it…”

“Okay. Try to pull out your wand.”

“How?”

Victoria mused. “Point at it or try to reach for it with your hand?”

Ruth did just that, but the proximity between them caused her finger to poke Victoria’s forehead, which of course did not please her. Ruth laughed at her expense and focused on the task at hand.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“You’re in my line of sight. Where else am I going to point?”

“Um, the other way? Okay, you know what, instead of pointing, just reach for the item.”

Ruth sighed and turned away. “ _Fine_ … Oh, cool, it moves with me! Let’s see…” Just as her friend instructed, she reached for the Sailor Moon wand, but when her finger neared it, the box grew in size. And like magic, the wand materialized in her hand. “It worked! It worked! Victoria, look!”

“That’s great!”

Unexpected footsteps sounded through the darkness, the noise drifting closer and closer with each thud down a creaky staircase, and Ruth and Victoria’s moment of celebration ceased as a looming figure of a skeletal soon hovered just outside the cell walls. A skeleton dressed in a blue and gold set of armor with a pointed helmet, matching boots and a shield with an image of a red bat. It stared at them through the iron bars, its piercing crimson eyes watching them with morbid fascination.

Ruth tucked her wand behind her back as Victoria sidled next to her. And though she’d never played the game to save her life, she relied on Victoria for a way out of this mess. Wherever that was. One look at her calm demeanor told her they weren’t in any trouble, but that _enormous sword_ he lugged around spoke otherwise.

“So you’re finally awake. Saves me the hassle of waking you myself!” It spoke in a masculine voice. “You!”

Ruth jumped and pointed at herself. “M-me?!”

“No! Not you!” It said and pointed a bony finger to the person seated beside her. “You! The apprentice builder! You sure gave us a lot of trouble back in _Cantlin_ after our siege! And lucky for me, I caught the infamous builder! Before we arrive in _Skelkatraz_ , I’ve got some work for you!” It said and unlocked the door before swinging it open. “This way, builder! Move it!”

Ruth shared a glance with Victoria. “Are you going with it?”

She nodded. “Seems like it. Don’t worry. This is only the tutorial. While I’m gone, try to put your staff back into your inventory so you don’t lose it. Trust me on this.”

“Don’t make me drag you!”

“Okay! Okay!” Victoria said and stood up, following his gesture to exit the cell. “I’ll be back later, Ruth.”

She latched onto the bars. “What do I do while you’re away? Sit and look cute?” She asked, making a face.

“Try talking to those people in the next cell. Get some information out of them.”

“Enough chitchat! Get a move on!”

And just like that, she watched her friend disappear up the stairs to the top of wherever the heck they were. But leaning closer to the bars, she saw a cloudy sky at the top, and with the constant rocking and sound of water from below, she assumed they were on a ship. Great.

Pulling away, she stared at the wand in hand, and doing as her friend had instructed, placed it back into her inventory. It was easier than she first imagined. As simple as it was to reach for it, it was the same for placing it back, but it was still awkward, especially with the eyes watching her. They probably thought she was crazy.

But what better time than any to speak with the other prisoners? It was only a game, after all. It wasn’t as if this was real-life, so why was she worried? Releasing a breath, she approached the bars to her left and waved at the others, but they spared her any acknowledgement. “H-hey… you doing alright over there?”

No response followed. There were three others inside, all of which trembled with fear. An elderly man sat hunched in a bed in the far back while a young man kneeled further against the wall. The only one of the three remained rooted to her spot, staring past the bars where Victoria and the Skeleton had disappeared to. Maybe she could get a response from her?

“Excuse me? I’m sorry, but can you tell me what’s going on? How did all of this happen? Why are we here?” Ruth asked, hoping to follow along with the game’s story, but no surprise, no one answered her.

Strange…

“Does anyone talk? Hello?” She paused and squinted her eyes and pulled away, huffing. _God_ , this was frustrating! And it didn’t help that she was naturally short-tempered either. Maybe she wasn’t speaking loud enough? Unless they were mute, but she found that hard to believe. Ruth took a breath and exhaled. “I know you can hear me! Stop ignoring me!”

The girl with the pink pigtail turned at this. “Don’t scream at us!”

That surprised her. _So they can hear me! What the hell!_ “I wouldn’t have to scream if you guys would just respond to me! Talk about rude!”

“Well, you’re not the boss of us! We don’t have to respond to the likes of you!” She said, growling.

What was her problem? “Excuse me? What’s that supposed to mean? You got a problem with me?!”

“Yeah, with your attitude! What gives you the right to yell at us when we’re all in this mess? Especially the sick!” She said, pointing at the old man in the back, and on cue, he started coughing.

Well, she had a point, but there was no reason to ignore her. “Geez. If you had just replied to me when I asked a question, we wouldn’t be in this predicament! Anyway, I’m frustrated because my friend was taken away. Not to mention I have no memory of what happened.”

“I sure as heck don’t know! I’ve been on this ship for over a week! Those barbaric monsters stole me and others from our home in Rippleport. I’m not sure what became of the others, though I assume they were taken by another ship! By the time I woke up, you and your friend were already unconscious!”

“That’s right,” The old man said between coughs. “That monster said he took you and your friend from Cantlin. We’re all awaiting out inevitable doom…”

Lovely…

“Well, if you all want to wait for your doom, go ahead, but I’m not. As soon as Victoria gets back here, she’ll come up with a plan to get us out of here. She is the main-character, after all!”

“What do you mean by that?” She asked, canting her head.

Ruth bit her lip. “N-nothing…” Crap. She had almost forgotten this was real to these NPCs. It was probably best she kept her mouth shut without breaking the fourth wall. “What I meant was… she’s the chosen one. The master builder.”

“Don’t say that!”

“Why not? That skeleton looking dude called her a builder.”

She huffed and placed her hands on her hips. “Apprentice builder! Meaning, she isn’t a full-fledged builder! If you go around saying she’s a master builder, you’ll only get her killed!”

Killed? For being the main builder? Somehow, that seemed a little dark, even for a kid’s game. “Come again?”

“That’s right, young lady,” The old man said. “If you want your friend to stay safe, it would be best not to utter those words again.”

Ruth nodded. Mental note taken. “He said we’re headed towards Skelkatraz or something. Do you know what that is?”

“I-it’s… a slave island…” The young man finally said, peering up at her from beneath his dark fringe. “It’s where they take all humans… and punish them… Only a few have ever escaped that hell…”

Slave island? Count her out. “Well, don’t worry. Victoria and I won’t let that happen. As soon as she gets back, we’ll find a way off this ship. I promise.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep!” The girl said, glaring. “Besides, what can you and her do against all those monsters on deck? We’re completely outnumbered! The last thing we need to do is draw attention to ourselves!”


End file.
